Howard Street Concept Plans on Display in Town Hall, Public Encouraged To View

Published Wednesday, December 28, 2016 at 11:37 am

Compiled by Jesse Wood

The Town of Boone is excited to announce that it will soon be moving into the construction drawings phase for the Howard Street project. This phase of the project, which includes enhancements to landscaping, additional bicycle lanes and sidewalks, as well as a parking deck, is expected to take approximately six months to complete.

Concept plans are currently on display in Town Hall, and Town Manager John Ward encourages everyone, especially downtown business owners, to stop by to view them.

Town Hall is located at 567 West King Street and is open from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. There is free parking for visitors to Town Hall located behind the building.

The following was published prior to a public hearing on the Howard Street concept plan earlier this month:

The project begins at the Water Street intersection, passes through the Depot Street intersection and ends at the Appalachian Street intersection. The plan calls for making Howard Street one-way, heading westbound, from Appalachian Street to Water Street.

When a study was conducted last year recommending that route, community members said the plan would have a dramatic impact on traffic flow, especially as ASU traffic exits Peacock Hall/Raley Parking Lot onto Howard Street during rush hour.

According to the concept plan published in Thursday’s meeting packet, the parking lot entrance/exit will be relocated closer to Appalachian Street. See diagrams below.

Town Manager John Ward has said previously, staff would be working with stakeholders along Howard Street, including Appalachian State and the developers of the Marketplace property beside Murphy’s Restaurant and Pub.

Under this proposal, Howard Street will also have a sidewalk and bike lanes. A proposed parking deck “by others” is also listed in the plans in a portion of the lot between Town Hall and ECRS.

The plans are conceptual, subject to change, and are not for construction.

See screen grabs of the concept plan below and previous articles about the improvement plan.